Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Tuesday he will seek a third term in the 2026 elections, hoping to beat the odds to become the longest-serving governor in a state where voters have usually said two terms were plenty. In a campaign video posted on YouTube, Walz said he’s running because his work is not done and he wants to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed. “I’ve seen how we help each other through the hard times,” he said. “And boy, we’ve seen terrible times this year. I’m heartbroken and angry about the beautiful people we lost to gun violence. But it’s in these moments we have to come together. We can’t lose hope because I’ve seen what we can do when we work together.” Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz as her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket but lost to now President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the November election. Walz, 61, has been frequently mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, but in an interview with Axios in July, he said he would not make a White House bid if he sought reelection. On the Republican side of the governor’s race, former business executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls announced his candidacy in May and hopes to become Minnesota’s first Black governor. Qualls also ran in 2022 but lost the GOP endorsement to family physician and former state senator Scott Jensen, who announced in July that he’s running again. The only current GOP office-holder in the race so far is state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove, who chairs a House committee formed this year to investigate fraud in government programs. She announced her candidacy August 20th.
Democrat Xp Lee has decisively won the race for Minnesota House, three months after House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, who held that seat for more than a decade, was killed. Lee won against Republican Ruth Bittner on Tuesday for House District 34B, which covers parts of Brooklyn Park and Champlin in Hennepin County, and part of Coon Rapids in Anoka County. The special election comes after the June 14 death of Represenative Melissa Hortman, who was killed along with her husband Mark and dog Gilbert in their Brooklyn Park home. The man accused of killing them, and shooting a DFL Senator and his wife, is facing state and federal murder charges. Lee's win makes it a 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House.
A large police and EMS presence descended upon Westwood Elementary on Tuesday morning for a medical emergency. In a statement from the St. Cloud Area School District, a student at the school experienced a medical emergency. Staff immediately responded and cared for the student until emergency responders could arrive. The student is receiving medical attention, and regular school operations continued. St. Cloud Police say there is no threat to the public.
In a post from the Little Falls Police Department "In recognition of their courageous and professional actions on June 5, 2025, at the Eastern Morrison County Range, Sgt. Owens and Sgt. Hegna were presented with an Official Commendation Life-Saving Award last night at the Little Falls City Council Meeting. Their swift actions, teamwork and dedication ensured that the injured individual received the critical care needed until emergency medical services arrived. Because of their quick thinking and skills, the life of this individual was saved.
NATIONAL NEWS Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.” DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024. “The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said. Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson's family has declined to comment to any members of the press since his arrest.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Famed actor and director Robert Redford has died, according to his publicist. He was 89. Redford died early Tuesday “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved,” No cause of death was provided. Redford's long career on and off the screen was coupled with his passion for environmental causes and for promoting independent filmmaking. As an actor, Redford began in Television shows in the early 60s then on Broadway and then starred in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969, "The Sting" in 1973 and in 1976's "All the President's Men", "The Natural" in 1984 and continued appearing in films including the Captain America and Avengers films through 2020.
Death Notices- Colleen L. Hayes, age 60 of Little Falls.
Weather- sunny skies during the day, slight chance of thunderstorms after 4pm today, high 82, chance of thunderstorms before midnight, some heavy rains, low 60. Thursday thunderstorms morning then cloudy and breezy, high 74, thunderstorms at night, low around 58. Friday showers likely during the day, cooler, high around 68, showers at night, low 52. Saturday showers and T-storms afternoon and evening, some sunshine, high near 70, low around 55. Sunday partly sunny, few PM showers, high around 73.
Sports- Twins gave up 10 runs early to the Yankees, then battle back to make it a game falling 10-9 in the end to New York. The Twins wrap up series with Yankees tonight at 6pm on Q92 WYRQ. Minnesota Lynx plays game 2 with Golden State tonight at 9pm in WNBA playoffs last night Indiana and Seattle avoided elimination and will have game 3's this week. Gophers have a bye weekend and do not play until September 27th against Rutgers in their Big 10 opener in football. Vikings will host Cincinnati with both having backup quarterbacks Sunday at noon. Get the latest in high school sports Saturdays at 9:05am on AM960 KLTF then Alex has the latest on Minnesota sports at 1pm Saturdays also on AM960 KLTF.